The morphological study of the Odontocete organ of Corti, together with possible alterations associated with damage from sound exposure, represents a key conservation approach to assess the effects of acoustic pollution on marine ecosystems. By collaborating with stranding networks from several European countries, 150 ears from 13 species of Odontocetes were collected and analyzed by scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. Based on our analyses, we first describe and compare Odontocete cochlear structures and then propose a diagnostic method to identify inner ear alterations in stranded individuals. The two species analyzed by TEM (Phocoena phocoena and Stenella coeruleoalba) showed morphological characteristics in the lower basal turn of high-frequency hearing species. Among other striking features, outer hair cell bodies were extremely small and were strongly attached to Deiters cells. Such morphological characteristics, shared with horseshoe bats, suggest that there has been convergent evolution of sound reception mechanisms among echolocating species. Despite possible autolytic artifacts due to technical and experimental constraints, the SEM analysis allowed us to detect the presence of scarring processes resulting from the disappearance of outer hair cells from the epithelium. In addition, in contrast to the rapid decomposition process of the sensory epithelium after death (especially of the inner hair cells), the tectorial membrane appeared to be more resistant to postmortem autolysis effects. Analysis of the stereocilia imprint pattern at the undersurface of the tectorial membrane may provide a way to detect possible ultrastructural alterations of the hair cell stereocilia by mirroring them on the tectorial membrane. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:431-448, 2015. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive has officially stated as soon as 2008 the anthropogenic noise due to shipping were to be mitigated. The policy makers, the yards and the ship owners still strongly rely on the expert studies and guidelines to find the appropriate methodology to assess and then mitigate the acoustic pollution impact shipping on the marine biota. To address this issue, the project AQUO "Achieve QUieter Oceans by shipping noise footprint reduction" (www.aquo.eu) started in October 2012 for 3 years. The AQUO project was built in the scope of FP7 European Research Framework. It involves 13 partners from 8 European countries, mixes academic experts, industry representatives from yard, classification society and other acoustic and bio-acoustic specialized bodies. Addressing the anthropogenic noise pollution into the marine biota is an increasing concern which is logically paired with the increasing commercial maritime traffic. The IMO itself has recently issued a first draft guideline, to be followed up during the next MEPC, addressing this matter. In parallel to the different achievements that are effective or in progress by standardization bodies or other delegated or assigned work group, the AQUO project aims to finally issue guidelines to be taken as methodological tools. The multidisciplinary team of this project aims to comply with expectations from the different stakeholders. First, an overview of the project is given. The objectives and the related project structure are detailed so as to better understand which axes are chosen and studied. Secondly, it is here proposed to share the recent outcomes of AQUO project. The current status of applied knowledge, related legal decisions as well as standards empowerment are essential to identify the remaining needs and consequent expected efforts. Drawing first the background rationales the noise footprint concept is then detailed. The process followed towards the main objective of mitigating the anthropogenic noise from shipping will be partly revealed and completed by the expected future work to be achieved by 2015.

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive has officially stated as soon as 2008 the anthropogenic noise due to shipping were to be mitigated. The policy makers, the yards and the ship owners still strongly rely on the expert studies and guidelines to find the appropriate methodology to assess and then mitigate the acoustic pollution impact shipping on the marine biota. To address this issue, the project AQUO

A search for cosmic neutrino sources using six years of data collected by the ANTARES neutrino telescope has been performed. Clusters of muon neutrinos over the expected atmospheric background have been looked for. No clear signal has been found. The most signal-like accumulation of events is located at equatorial coordinates R.A. =-46.°8 and decl. =-64.°9 and corresponds to a 2.2s background fluctuation. In addition, upper limits on the flux normalization of an E -2 muon neutrino energy spectrum have been set for 50 pre-selected astrophysical objects. Finally, motivated by an accumulation of seven events relatively close to the Galactic Center in the recently reported neutrino sample of the IceCube telescope, a search for point sources in a broad region around this accumulation has been carried out. No indication of a neutrino signal has been found in the ANTARES data and upper limits on the flux normalization of an E -2 energy spectrum of neutrinos from point sources in that region have been set. The 90% confidence level upper limits on the muon neutrino flux normalization vary between 3.5 and 5.1 × 10 -8 GeV cm-2 s-1, depending on the exact location of the source.

This paper reports a search for spatial clustering of the arrival directions of high energy muon neutrinos detected by the ANTARES neutrino telescope. An improved two-point correlation method is used to study the autocorrelation of 3058 neutrino candidate events as well as cross-correlations with other classes of astrophysical objects: sources of high energy gamma rays, massive black holes and nearby galaxies. No significant deviations from the isotropic distribution of arrival directions expected from atmospheric backgrounds are observed

Sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus emit impulsive sound signals in short series of rhythmic clicks (codas) for communication, and in long series of single acoustic events (usual clicks) for echolocation. Both click types are generated pneumatically within the hypertrophied nasal complex, at the monkey lips' at the rostral end of the right nasal passage. Each individual click comprises repetitive pulses decaying in intensity. However, the decay rate is distinctly higher in usual clicks than in coda clicks. The mechanism of decay rate control in the clicks is still unclear, and it is unclear why the right nasal passage crosses the nasal acoustic pathway between two hypertrophied acoustic fat bodies (spermaceti organ, junk), so that it resembles a bent acoustic horn'. We present a new concept to explain how the flat right nasal passage can serve as a variable acoustic valve, and how the amount and distribution of its air filling can be controlled by muscle action. This mechanism allows the whale to determine the pulse decay rate and thus switch between the two modes of click production. Coda clicks are generated by reverberations within the spermaceti organ (partial trapping of sound) and by the release of sound energy in fractions through the air-filled right nasal passage. In contrast, echolocation clicks as single events are released during the partial collapse of the right nasal passage between the spermaceti organ and the junk. This interpretation of the right nasal passage as an adaptive acoustic valve elucidates why the spermaceti organ and the junk are separated from each other by an air-filled space of variable volume crossing the sound path of the bent acoustic horn' in the posterior part of the nasal complex.

Sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus emit impulsive sound signals in short series of rhythmic clicks (codas) for communication, and in long series of single acoustic events (usual clicks) for echolocation. Both click types are generated pneumatically within the hypertrophied nasal complex, at the monkey lips' at the rostral end of the right nasal passage. Each individual click comprises repetitive pulses decaying in intensity. However, the decay rate is distinctly higher in usual clicks than in coda clicks. The mechanism of decay rate control in the clicks is still unclear, and it is unclear why the right nasal passage crosses the nasal acoustic pathway between two hypertrophied acoustic fat bodies #spermaceti organ, junk#, so that it resembles a bent acoustic horn'. We present a new concept to explain how the flat right nasal passage can serve as a variable acoustic valve, and how the amount and distribution of its air filling can be controlled by muscle action. This mechanism allows the whale to determine the pulse decay rate and thus switch between the two modes of click production. Coda clicks are generated by reverberations within the spermaceti organ #partial trapping of sound# and by the release of sound energy in fractions through the air-filled right nasal passage. In contrast, echolocation clicks as single events are released during the partial collapse of the right nasal passage between the spermaceti organ and the junk. This interpretation of the right nasal passage as an adaptive acoustic valve elucidates why the spermaceti organ and the junk are separated from each other by an air-filled space of variable volume crossing the sound path of the bent acoustic horn' in the posterior part of the nasal complex.

The growing scientific and societal concerns about the effects of underwater sound on marine ecosystems have been recently recognised through the introduction of several international initiatives, like the International Quiet Ocean Experiment, aimed at measuring the environmental impact of ocean noise on large spatial and temporal scales. From a regulatory perspective, the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive includes noise (and other forms of energy) as one of eleven descriptors of good environmental status of Europe's seas. The directive requires member states to monitor trends in annually averaged sound. The Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics has developed a software package that measures sound levels and monitors acoustic sources in real-time; this software was used for the LIDO project (www.listentothedeep.com), which originated from the European Seafloor Observatory Network of Excellence (ESONET-NoE; www.esonet-noe.org). The system is currently operating worldwide from several wired and radio-linked observatories. The CTBTO (Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization) has made available years of data from hydroacoustic stations to look for ambient sound trends and to detect cetacean presence. Here, we present the analysis of four CTBTO platforms (located in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans), covering 42 months of data, intended to detect annual and monthly changes or trends in the ambient sound levels.

The growing scientific and societal concerns about the effects of underwater sound on marine ecosystems have been recently recognised through the introduction of several international initiatives, like the International Quiet Ocean Experiment, aimed at measuring the environmental impact of ocean noise on large spatial and temporal scales. From a regulatory perspective, the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive includes noise (and other forms of energy) as one of eleven descriptors of good environmental status of Europe's seas. The directive requires member states to monitor trends in annually averaged sound. The Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics has developed a software package that measures sound levels and monitors acoustic sources in real-time; this software was used for the LIDO project (www.listentothedeep.com#, which originated from the European Seafloor Observatory Network of Excellence #ESONET-NoE; www.esonet-noe.org#. The system is currently operating worldwide from several wired and radio-linked observatories. The CTBTO #Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization# has made available years of data from hydroacoustic stations to look for ambient sound trends and to detect cetacean presence. Here, we present the analysis of four CTBTO platforms #located in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans), covering 42 months of data, intended to detect annual and monthly changes or trends in the ambient sound levels.

Analysis of the Fermi-LAT data has revealed two extended structures above and below the Galactic Centre emitting gamma rays with a hard spectrum, the so-called Fermi bubbles. Hadronic models attempting to explain the origin of the Fermi bubbles predict the emission of high-energy neutrinos and gamma rays with similar fluxes. The ANTARES detector, a neutrino telescope located in the Mediterranean Sea, has a good visibility to the Fermi bubble regions. Using data collected from 2008 to 2011 no statistically significant excess of events is observed and therefore upper limits on the neutrino flux in TeV range from the Fermi bubbles are derived for various assumed energy cutoffs of the source.

Aims. We search for muon neutrinos in coincidence with GRBs with the ANTARES neutrino detector using data from the end of 2007 to 2011.
Methods. Expected neutrino fluxes were calculated for each burst individually. The most recent numerical calculations of the spectra using the NeuCosmA code were employed, which include Monte Carlo simulations of the full underlying photohadronic interaction processes. The discovery probability for a selection of 296 GRBs in the given period was optimised using an extended maximum-likelihood strategy.
Results. No significant excess over background is found in the data, and 90% confidence level upper limits are placed on the total expected flux according to the model

There is a considerable lack of information concerning marine invertebrate sensitivity to sound exposure. However, recent findings on cuttlefish and octopi showed that exposure to artificial noise had a direct consequence on the functionality and physiology of the statocysts, sensory organs, which are responsible for their equilibrium and movements in the water column. Owing to a lack of available data on deep diving cephalopod species, we conducted a noise exposure comparative experiment on one Mediterranean squid, Illex coindetii, and on the European squid Loligo vulgaris. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed similar injuries in the inner structure of the statocysts, as those found in cuttlefish and octopi. In addition to the ultrastructural description of the lesions, we publish here the first images of the crista-cupula system and inner statocyst cavity of I. coindetii.

Many anthropogenic noise sources are nowadays contributing to the general noise budget of the oceans. The extent to which sound in the sea impacts and affects marine life is a topic of considerable current interest both to the scientific community and to the general public. Cepaholopods potentially represent a group of species whose ecology may be influenced by artificial noise that would have a direct consequence on the functionality and sensitivity of their sensory organs, the statocysts. These are responsible for their equilibrium and movements in the water column. Controlled Exposure Experiments, including the use of a 50–400 Hz sweep (RL=157±5 dB re 1 μPa with peak levels up to SPL=175 dB re 1 μPa) revealed lesions in the statocysts of four cephalopod species of the Mediterranean Sea, when exposed to low frequency sounds: (n=76) of Sepia officinalis, (n=4) Octopus vulgaris, (n=5) Loligo vulgaris and (n=2) Illex condietii. The analysis was performed through scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopical techniques of the whole inner structure of the cephalopods' statocyst, especially on the macula and crista. All exposed individuals presented the same lesions and the same incremental effects over time, consistent with a massive acoustic trauma observed in other species that have been exposed to much higher intensities of sound: Immediately after exposure, the damage was observed in the macula statica princeps (msp) and in the crista sensory epithelium. Kinocilia on hair cells were either missing or were bent or flaccid. A number of hair cells showed protruding apical poles and ruptured lateral plasma membranes, most probably resulting from the extrusion of cytoplasmic material. Hair cells were also partially ejected from the sensory epithelium, and spherical holes corresponding to missing hair cells were visible in the epithelium. The cytoplasmic content of the damaged hair cells showed obvious changes, including the presence of numerous vacuoles and electron-dense inclusions not seen in the control animals. The lesions described here are new to cephalopod pathology. Given that low-frequency noise levels in the ocean are increasing (e.g. shipping, offshore industry, and naval manoeuvres), that the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems is only now beginning to be understood, and that reliable bioacoustic data on invertebrates are scarce, the present study and future investigations will bring an important contribution to the sustainable use of the marine environment.

Atmospheric neutrinos are produced during cascades initiated by the interaction of primary cosmic rays with air nuclei. In this paper, a measurement of the atmospheric ¿µ+¿¯µ energy spectrum in the energy range 0.1–200 TeV is presented, using data collected by the ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope from 2008 to 2011. Overall, the measured flux is ~25 % higher than predicted by the conventional neutrino flux, and compatible with the measurements reported in ice. The flux is compatible with a single power-law dependence with spectral index ¿ meas=3.58±0.12. With the present statistics the contribution of prompt neutrinos cannot be established.

Atmospheric neutrinos are produced during cascades initiated by the interaction of primary cosmic rays with air nuclei. In this paper, a measurement of the atmospheric
νμ + ¯νμ energy spectrum in the energy range 0.1–200 TeV is presented, using data collected by the ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope from 2008 to 2011. Overall,
the measured flux is ∼25 % higher than predicted by the conventional neutrino flux, and compatible with the measurements
reported in ice. The flux is compatible with a single power-law dependence with spectral index γmeas = 3.58 ± 0.12. With the present statistics the contribution of prompt neutrinos cannot be established.

The EU, through the FP7 framework, has been funding various projects (e.g. SILENV, AQUO and SONIC) to obtain more detailed information on acoustic source levels from ships as well as to find ways to reduce their impact on the marine environment. Knowledge about source levels is important to understand a possible increase of background noise in the world oceans, but by itself it is not sufficient for noise management around a marine protected area. Depending on environmental conditions, propagation losses will be affected by bathymetry, sediment nature and seasons, resulting in changing effects from a same ship. To manage and decide on acceptable shipping sound levels in a MPA, acoustic modeling allows estimating cumulative sound exposure levels experienced by the animals at any given time, thus determining the number of vessels and their distance to the area favourable to maintain a good environmental status. Over the last three years, acoustic measurements recorded at the OBSEA shallow water cabled platform (Barcelona, Spain) have been stored together with AIS information. This data was used to demonstrate and validate the footprints of different ships in the area. Additionally, footprints of ships navigating through the Barentsz Sea are presented using one year of AIS data and source level estimations from literature

The deep ocean is the largest and least known ecosystem on Earth. It hosts numerous pelagic organisms, most of which are able to emit light. Here we present a unique data set consisting of a 2.5-year long record of light emission by deep-sea pelagic organisms, measured from December 2007 to June 2010 at the ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope in the deep NW Mediterranean Sea, jointly with synchronous hydrological records. This is the longest continuous time-series of deep-sea bioluminescence ever recorded. Our record reveals several weeks long, seasonal bioluminescence blooms with light intensity up to two orders of magnitude higher than background values, which correlate to changes in the properties of deep waters. Such changes are triggered by the winter cooling and evaporation experienced by the upper ocean layer in the Gulf of Lion that leads to the formation and subsequent sinking of dense water through a process known as ‘‘open-sea convection’’. It episodically renews the deep water of the study area and conveys fresh organic matter that fuels the deep ecosystems. Luminous bacteria most likely are the main contributors to the observed deep-sea bioluminescence blooms.
Our observations demonstrate a consistent and rapid connection between deep open-sea convection and bathypelagic
biological activity, as expressed by bioluminescence. In a setting where dense water formation events are likely to decline under global warming scenarios enhancing ocean stratification, in situ observatories become essential as environmental sentinels for the monitoring and understanding of deep-sea ecosystem shifts

The deep ocean is the largest and least known ecosystem on Earth. It hosts numerous pelagic organisms, most of which are able to emit light. Here we present a unique data set consisting of a 2.5-year long record of light emission by deep-sea pelagic organisms, measured from December 2007 to June 2010 at the ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope in the deep NW Mediterranean Sea, jointly with synchronous hydrological records. This is the longest continuous time-series of deep-sea bioluminescence ever recorded. Our record reveals several weeks long, seasonal bioluminescence blooms with light intensity up to two orders of magnitude higher than background values, which correlate to changes in the properties of deep waters. Such changes are triggered by the winter cooling and evaporation experienced by the upper ocean layer in the Gulf of Lion that leads to the formation and subsequent sinking of dense water through a process known as “open-sea convection”. It episodically renews the deep water of the study area and conveys fresh organic matter that fuels the deep ecosystems. Luminous bacteria most likely are the main contributors to the observed deep-sea bioluminescence blooms. Our observations demonstrate a consistent and rapid connection between deep open-sea convection and bathypelagic biological activity, as expressed by bioluminescence. In a setting where dense water formation events are likely to decline under global warming scenarios enhancing ocean stratification, in situ observatories become essential as environmental sentinels for the monitoring and understanding of deep-sea ecosystem shifts

A search for neutrino-induced muons in correlation with a selection of 40 gamma-ray bursts that occurred in 2007 has been performed with the ANTARES neutrino telescope. During that period, the detector consisted of 5 detection lines. The ANTARES neutrino telescope is sensitive to TeV–PeV neutrinos that are predicted from gamma-ray bursts. No events were found in correlation with the prompt photon emission of the gamma-ray bursts and upper limits have been placed on the flux and fluence of neutrinos for different models.

In summary, our experiments confirm that protein content of endolymph changes after been exposed to low frequency sounds. These changes can be expected to affect physiology and functioning of S. officinalis statocyst and alter the sensory information of this species.

Sources of sound produced by human activities induce physical, physiological, and behavioral effects on marine fauna (mammals, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates), effects that can be diverse depending on the proximity to the signal source. These impacts include a reduction in the abundance of fish species of up to 50% in zones under exploration, changes in cetacean behavior and migration routes, and a distinct range of physical injuries in both marine vertebrates and invertebrates. There may be further long-term consequences due to chronic exposure, and sound can indirectly affect animals due to changes in the accessibility of prey, which may also suffer the adverse effects of acoustic pollution (Richardson et al. 1995). These damages could significantly impair the conservation of already endangered species that use acoustically contaminated areas for migratory routes, reproduction, and feeding.

The data taken with the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2010, a total live time of 863 days, are used to measure the oscillation parameters of atmospheric neutrinos. Muon tracks are reconstructed with energies as low as 20 GeV. Neutrino oscillations will cause a suppression of vertical upgoing muon neutrinos of such energies crossing the Earth. The parameters determining the oscillation of atmospheric neutrinos are extracted by fitting the event rate as a function of the ratio of the estimated neutrino energy and reconstructed flight path through the Earth. Measurement contours of the oscillation parameters in a two-flavour approximation are derived. Assuming maximal mixing, a mass difference of dm 32 2=(3.1±0.9){dot operator}10 -3eV 2 is obtained, in good agreement with the world average value.

The data taken with the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2010, a total live time of 863 days, are used to measure the oscillation parameters of atmospheric neutrinos. Muon tracks are reconstructed with energies as low as 20 GeV. Neutrino oscillations will cause a suppression of vertical upgoing muon neutrinos of such energies crossing the Earth. The parameters determining the oscillation of atmospheric neutrinos are extracted by fitting the event rate as a function of the ratio of the estimated neutrino energy and reconstructed flight path through the Earth. Measurement
contours of the oscillation parameters in a two-flavour approximation are derived. Assuming maximal mixing, a mass difference of m2 32 = (3.1 ± 0.9) · 10−3 eV2 is obtained, in good agreement with the world average value.

The ANTARES telescope is well-suited to detect neutrinos produced in astrophysical transient sources as it can observe a full hemisphere of the sky at all times with a high duty cycle. Radio-loud active galactic
nuclei with jets pointing almost directly towards the observer, the so-called blazars, are particularly attractive potential neutrino point sources. The all-sky monitor LAT on board the Fermi satellite probes
the variability of any given gamma-ray bright blazar in the sky on time scales of hours to months. Assuming hadronic models, a strong correlation between the gamma-ray and the neutrino fluxes is expected.
Selecting a narrow time window on the assumed neutrino production period can significantly reduce the background.
An unbinned method based on the minimization of a likelihood ratio was applied to a subsample of data collected in 2008 (61 days live time). By searching for neutrinos during the high state periods of the AGN light curve, the sensitivity to these sources was improved by about a factor of two with respect to a standard time-integrated point source search. First results on the search for neutrinos associated with ten bright and variable Fermi sources are presented.

Controlled Exposure Experiments revealed lesions in the statocysts of four cephalopod species
of the Mediterranean Sea (Sepia officinalis, Loligo vulgaris, Illex coindetii and Octopus
vulgaris), when exposed to relatively low intensity low frequency sounds. The analysis was
performed through: scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy techniques of
the whole inner structure of the cephalopod statocysts, especially on macula and crista; SEM of
the epidermal lines of cephalopod hatchlings; and proteomic studies (2DE/MALDI –MS) of the
statocyst’s endolymph. All exposed adult individuals presented the same lesions and the same
incremental effects over time, consistent with a massive acoustic trauma observed in land
species that were exposed to much higher intensities of sound. Immediately after exposure, the
damage was observed in the macula statica princeps (msp) and in the crista sensory epithelium.
Kinocilia on hair cells were either missing or were bent or flaccid. A number of hair cells
showed protruding apical poles and ruptured lateral plasma membranes, most probably resulting
from the extrusion of cytoplasmic material. Hair cells were also partially ejected from the
sensory epithelium, and spherical holes corresponding to missing hair cells were visible in the
epithelium. The cytoplasmic content of the damaged hair cells showed obvious changes,
including the presence of numerous vacuoles and electron dense inclusions not seen in the
control animals. The appearance of these lesions became gradually more pronounced in
individuals after 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. Special attention was given to validate these
findings with control animals that were caught, maintained and sequentially sacrificed following
the same protocol as the exposed individuals. The statocyst ultrastructure was therefore revisited
and a comparative analysis was carefully conducted to assess the lesions triggered by the
exposure to noise
This study also presents preliminary results of the sound effects on epidermal lines of
cephalopod hatchlings. The lesions, consistent with an acoustic trauma, were identic in the three
species that were exposed, but their evolution over time, in opposition with what was observed
in the statocysts, were different, suggesting that the animal size and metabolic response might
play a role in a possible recovery process.
The analysis of noise effects in the statocyst endolymph by proteomic techniques was only
conducted on Sepia officinalis. The presence of differential staining of gels from control and
subjected to sound exposure individuals demonstrate that the injuries could be related to a
possible physiological imbalance that would affect the protein levels of the endolymph.
The lesions and findings described here are new to cephalopod pathology. Given that lowfrequency
noise levels in the ocean are increasing (e.g. due to shipping, offshore industry, and
naval maneuvers), that the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems is only now beginning to
be understood, and that reliable bioacoustic data on invertebrates are scarce, the present study
and future investigations will bring an important contribution to the sustainable use of the
marine environment.

The morphological study of the Odontocete organ of Corti including possible pathological features resulting from sound over-exposure, represent a key conservation issue to assess the effects of acoustic pollution on marine ecosystems. Through the collaboration with stranding networks belonging to 26 countries, 150 ears from 13 species of Odontocetes were processed. In this dissertation, we present a standard protocol to 1) compare the ultrastructure of the cochlea in several Odontocete species and 2) investigate possible damage as a consequence of sound exposure, using scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry.
In a preliminary study, computerized tomography scans were performed before decalcification with ears of 15 odontocete species, proposing a set of standard measurements which classified very well the species. In addition, the constant ratio between measurements of inner and middle ear structures contributed to confirm the active role of the odontocete middle ear in sound reception mechanism.
We established a decalcification protocol using the fast commercial decalcifier RDO® and EDTA (Ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid). Although further experiments should be conducted to assess the suitability of using one or the other method (because the number of samples treated with EDTA was comparatively small), RDO® at specific dilutions decreased the decalcification time of cetacean ear bones with control of the decalcification endpoint, helping a faster access to inner structures.
The complementary use of electron microscopy and immunofluorescence allowed the description in odontocetes of new morphological features of tectorial membrane, spiral limbus, spiral ligament, stria vascularis, hair cells and their innervation. Furthermore, this study revealed qualitative and quantitative morphological characteristics of the organ of Corti in high-frequency hearing species, including 1) an outer hair cell (OHC) small length, 2) a thick cuticular plate in OHC, and a thick reticular lamina, 3) robust cup formation of the Deiters cell body, 4) the high development of cytoskeleton in Deiters and pillar cells and 5) the basilar membrane high stiffness. Interestingly, all these features, including a common molecular design of prestin, are also shared by echolocating bats, suggesting a convergent evolution in echolocating species.
The presence of scars among hair cell rows, the pattern of stereocilia imprints in the tectorial membrane and the condition of fibrocytes II and IV were criteria suitable to determine or discard possible acoustic trauma, despite the numerous artefacts that rapidly develop as a consequence of tissue autolysis.
Consequently, matching the preliminary approximation of the cochlear frequency map with the damaged region would bring information on the sound source that would have triggered a possible lesion.

Magnetic monopoles are predicted in various unified gauge models and could be produced at intermediate mass scales. Their detection in a neutrino telescope is facilitated by the large amount of light emitted
compared to that from muons. This paper reports on a search for upgoing relativistic magnetic monopoles with the ANTARES neutrino telescope using a data set of 116 days of live time taken from December 2007 to December 2008. The one observed event is consistent with the expected atmospheric neutrino and muon background, leading to a 90% C.L. upper limit on the monopole flux between 1.3 10 17 and 8.9 10 17 cm 2 s 1 sr 1 for monopoles with velocity bP0.625.

The group velocity of light has been measured at eight different wavelengths between 385 nm and 532 nm in the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of about 2.2 km with the ANTARES optical beacon systems.
A parametrisation of the dependence of the refractive index on wavelength based on the salinity, pressure and temperature of the sea water at the ANTARES site is in good agreement with these measurements.

Sources of sound produced by human activities induce physical, physiological, and behavioral effects on marine fauna (mammals, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates), effects that can be diverse depending on the proximity to the signal source. These impacts include a reduction in the abundance of fish species of up to 50% in zones under exploration, changes in cetacean behavior and migration routes, and a distinct range of physical injuries in both marine vertebrates and invertebrates. There may be further long-term consequences due to chronic exposure, and sound can indirectly affect animals due to changes in the accessibility of prey, which may also suffer the adverse effects of acoustic pollution (Richardson et al. 1995). These damages could significantly impair the conservation of already endangered species that use acoustically contaminated areas for migratory routes, reproduction, and feeding.

The European Union’s (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) aims to improve the condition of all Europe’s seas and ensure that human usage of these seas is sustainable. The directive will work by requiring EU member states to set a series of objectives for 11 Descriptors of Environmental Status. One of these descriptors, Introduction of Energy, Including Underwater Noise, Is at Levels That Do Not Adversely Affect the Marine Environment, concerns underwater noise. A task group consisting of the authors was established to recommend to the European Commission indicators that might be used by member states to define good environmental status (GES) under this descriptor. The task group focused on sounds that affect relatively broad areas of the marine environment and developed three possible indicators of underwater sound.